Bluff School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within fifteen months of the Education Review Office and Bluff School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context 

Bluff School is a Year 1 to 8 school in the township of Bluff. The school works closely with local early learning centres and Te Rau Aroha marae. A new principal has been appointed and began in 2022.

Bluff School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

• build powerful relationships, strengthen engagement with the school community and grow learning focused partnerships
• improve learner outcomes through strengthening teachers’ literacy and digital capabilities
• enhance social, emotional and physical wellbeing through positive school-wide practices.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Bluff School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate raising student achievement through educationally powerful partnerships, responsive curriculum and effective teaching and learning.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that the school has identified that it would like to further strengthen its partnerships with parents, whānau and with Te Rau Aroha marae.

The school's vision for its learners is that they will have opportunities to reach their personal best in a learning environment that challenges, motivates and nurtures them. Raising achievement in reading, writing and mathematics is central to this focus.

The school expects to see:

• strengthened learning centred partnerships with parents, whānau and Te Rau Aroha marae
• effective teaching that responds to the changing needs of learners within a positive learning culture
• robust learner achievement and progress information
• data analysis, retrieval and data literacy that informs evaluation and inquiry processes for teachers and leaders
• improved overall student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics with significantly greater proportions of students making accelerated progress in these areas, particularly for those learners who need this.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to raise achievement and strengthen partnerships:

• the progress the school has made in two-way community partnerships to support learning
• the principal’s expertise and experience in te reo and tikanga Māori
• welcoming, caring and responsive staff and their support for learners and their whānau
• resourcing that focuses on outcomes for learners
• the commitment of the board and leaders to continuous improvement.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• clarifying expectations for personalised teaching and learning
• systems and practices to enable deep analysis and inquiry into accelerated progress for learners
• close monitoring of the progress of targeted learners
• support for teachers and leaders to successfully raise achievement through targeted actions.

ERO has concerns about

The systematic and deliberate effort required to raise achievement for the school to achieve its goals.

Recommendation

The school seeks support to grow internal capability in managing student learning information.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

8 July 2022 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of June 2022, the Bluff School Board of Trustees has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Further Information

For further information please contact Bluff School Board of Trustees.

The next Board of Trustees assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.

Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

8 July 2022 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home